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The United States reported new record cases of coronavirus for the third day in a row, as new president-elect Joe Biden promised to act against the pandemic on “day one” in the world’s worst-hit nation.
Global infections have exceeded 49 million and Europe has become the new epicenter of a pandemic in recent weeks with more than 300,000 deaths, almost a quarter of the global total.
More than 127,000 new infections were reported in the United States on Friday, the third consecutive daily record.
When Biden finally emerged as the winner of Tuesday’s US presidential election, he vowed that he would not waste time addressing the pandemic.
“I want everyone, everyone to know from day one that we are going to implement our plan to control this virus,” said the Democratic president-elect who will not take office until January.
– ‘More distrust’ –
Across the Atlantic, Greece became the latest European nation to go into lockdown on Saturday with the continent reeling from a second, relentless wave of coronavirus.
According to the measures, which came into effect before dawn, Greeks can only leave home if they receive authorization for a mobile phone request. Essential stores can remain open, including supermarkets and pharmacies.
The capital’s main shopping street, Ermou Street, was quiet.
But the hairdressers were allowed to stay open for two more days and were reserved.
“I want my hair done so that what I see in the mirror every morning during the confinement does not cause me sadness,” said Petrina, before her appointment on Sunday.
The measures follow the imposition of restrictions in Italy, France, Ireland and Great Britain, while Switzerland is also being hit hard by the virus.
Poland also imposed new measures on Saturday, closing most shopping malls. The Warsaw government is also closing cinemas, theaters, galleries and other cultural institutions and making hotels available only to business travelers.
Germany on Saturday reported record daily figures with 23,399 new cases and 130 deaths.
The protesters, few of whom were wearing masks, protested in the eastern German city of Leipzig against restrictions imposed to curb the pandemic.
Organizers put the turnout at 20,000, while police said some attacked them after they were told to disperse.
– Shocks –
With populations increasingly weary of lockdowns, protesters and police have also clashed in parts of Italy and the Czech Republic in recent weeks.
The Italian government announced new measures early Saturday morning to help businesses and families cope with the latest restrictions, which include a national nighttime curfew and closures in four regions.
The latest aid package would amount to 2.5 billion euros ($ 3 billion), media reported on Saturday.
Giorgio Gori, the mayor of Bergamo, the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis in Italy earlier this year, said “there is more fatigue and more mistrust” than during the first lockdown, after people protested in front of their house.
In southern Italy’s Calabria region, the top health official was fired after giving journalists evasive and imprecise answers to questions about the virus.
Saverio Cotticelli seemed not even aware that it was his job to prepare an operational plan to combat the pandemic.
– Real Madrid stars catch viruses –
The record numbers of infection in the United States came when Donald Trump, who survived a Covid-19 attack in October and has been widely criticized for his handling of the crisis, refused to accept the electoral victory of his Democratic challenger Biden.
Cases in the United States are fast approaching 10 million, with more than 236,000 deaths, and the pandemic has hit the world’s largest economy, leaving millions out of work.
Trump has openly opposed the lockdown measures, citing their impact on the economy and repeatedly clashing with experts in his own administration about coronavirus policy.
Unlike Biden, Trump held massive campaign rallies ahead of the Nov. 3 vote, insisting that the United States was “turning around” despite waves of viruses.
Senior officials in his administration recently contracted the virus and Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows was the last to test positive, media said Friday night.
The pandemic has been cited as one of the factors behind the delay in the results of the US elections, with state authorities inundated with millions of ballots submitted by citizens unwilling to risk being infected by voting in person.
Governments are also exploring mass testing as a way to curb the pandemic.
In England, Liverpool started the country’s first city-wide coronavirus testing program on Friday. The 500,000 residents will be offered repeat tests, even if they are asymptomatic, under a pilot scheme that could be rolled out across the country if successful.
Britain on Saturday banned all non-resident aliens from Denmark after a mutated version of the coronavirus linked to mink farms was found in humans.
Once again, the sports world was affected as well, with Real Madrid announcing that two of its star players, Belgian forward Eden Hazard and his Brazilian teammate Casemiro, have tested positive for coronavirus.
strawberries / pvh / har
